Calling all doubters

[IC1967]

I'd be grateful if those of you who were calling for the manager's head last week would form an orderly queue to admit your wrong doing. Despite all your negativity and lack of support Dickov has turned it around.

Your abject apologies will be accepted immediately and we will say no more on the matter. Just don't start moaning again if we get beat next game.

Onwards and upwards together!

[keepmoatman]

You lost 5-1 did you not ?

[Sprotyrover]

Yeah I can't help but wondering how many of the Negative posters on here will be disappointed with today's result! 

[godlike1]

Today's result was v important given that the teams around us also won and some ground was made up on the reams ahead

But .........

I still maintain that we need some better results away from and that our home form will not be enough to keep us up

I'm not sure Dickov has the nouse to get the results we need away from home

[podrover73]

Funny that they were all on here within 5 seconds of the game ending last week.  well do they even go to the games? 

[MiKA]

To all the doubters

........................................... Shut the fcuk up     

[roversam]

Outside you lol

[DonnyBazR0ver]

Could argue that was PDs biggest test so far and he's come through it. That performance has to be the minimum expected every week. Theres plenty of work to be done before we break out the cigars. Tamas, Brown and Cotterill were excellent today.

[i_ateallthepies]

Agree DBR, that's the level of spirit and fight we need to show just to stand a chance and should be the minimum to be expected.


What happened to Cotterill?  Never seen him put a shift in like he did today.  With that kind of effort and effectiveness he'd be starting every week.


well done that man.  Hope whatever has sparked him can be sustained.

[roversdude]

No polls for PD out oh my
Everything was right today

[IC1967]

Is anyone going to apologise? Come on, you know who you are (so do the rest of us).

Wipe the slate clean and let's move on together.

United we stand, divided we fall.

[RedJ]

What happened to Cotterill?  Never seen him put a shift in like he did today.  With that kind of effort and effectiveness he'd be starting every week.

Might be something to do with the fact that we're nearing the end of the season, and the end of his contract.

[dknward2]

One of the best of the season carry on like that and will have no problems

[The Red Baron]

There's no doubt that there are some people on here from whom we only hear after a defeat. At the same time, I think it is a bit much to suggest that today's result banished all doubts about our future. It was a good win and a very committed, hard working display from all the players. But they've shown us several times already this season that they are capable of producing something like that. What we have yet to see is those performances being produced week-in, week-out, and particularly away from home.

If Rovers can repeat that performance on Tuesday, and again at Forest on Saturday (we could be playing them at a good time) then maybe the doubts (and doubters) can really be banished. Until then, there's a need to suspend judgement- one way or another.

[BillyStubbsTears]

TRB

I've never understood this argument about why the away form has to improve. We have to grab another dozen points from wherever we can. Home, away, it makes no odds.

We've picked up 9 points in the last 5 home matches. Repeat that form in the final 6 home games and we will probably stay up with maybe a single point from the final 6 away games.

[Filo]

We have a really tough run in, we have 5 of the current top 6 to play, we need to be on our game from now until the end of the season, and for me we need a loan CB in as cover, we can't afford to throw the two young CB's to the lions at this stage of the season

[The Red Baron]

TRB

I've never understood this argument about why the away form has to improve. We have to grab another dozen points from wherever we can. Home, away, it makes no odds.

We've picked up 9 points in the last 5 home matches. Repeat that form in the final 6 home games and we will probably stay up with maybe a single point from the final 6 away games.

On the form of the last three away games we wouldn't pick up any points.

I'm possibly more optimistic about the home games than you are, in that I think we can pick up 12-13 from the remaining 6 games. However, I'm not convinced 45-46 will get us over the line. The other results yesterday say to me that all our main rivals are running into form- at least at home. Then there is Charlton who only need to hit form with all the games they've got and they'll be flying. So I think we need a win, or two or three draws, from our remaining away games.

But the point I was really making was that we've been dogged by inconsistency all season- not just in terms of results, but also in terms of performance levels. Yesterday was good, but so were Wigan, Charlton, QPR etc. And we didn't follow those up with a winning run which might have put some distance between us and the foot of the table.

[MrFrost]

Dickov got it right yesterday, i'll give him that. Cracking result and good performance

[BillyStubbsTears]

TRB

What is form? You can't look at one match and say a team is running into form. You've got to look at a reasonable run of matches.

Here's what happens if you do. Take the form over the past 8 matches, extrapolate it to May and you get

Donny 47 points
Yeovil 44
Barnsley 44
Blackpool 40
Millwall 40
Charlton 35

Take the last 5 match form and you get
Yeovil 52
Barnsley 47
Donny 43
Millwall 43
Blackpool 40
Charlton 37

Whichever way you look at form, 45 points will be more than enough to stay up.

[wilts rover]

Dont rule out Birmingham from that, the only teams they have beaten since Christmas have been Charlton and Blackpool.

[BillyStubbsTears]

Forgot about Birmingham.

Last 8 form. 47 points.

Last 5 form. 43 points.

[BillyStubbsTears]

Update. Final table based on last 8 match form

Donny 51 points
Birmingham 47
Blackpool 45
Yeovil 43
Barnsley 41
Millwall 38
Charlton 37

Based on last 5 match form
Donny 51
Yeovil 48
Blackpool 47
Birmingham 43
Barnsley 43
Millwall 40
Charlton 37